


A Voice in the Flames

by N7Stryker



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Leonie and Shamir being mercenary girlfriends, Nightmares, Post-Black Eagles Route (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Post-Canon, Post-Crimson Flower, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:41:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26205100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/N7Stryker/pseuds/N7Stryker
Summary: “It’s been a year now.”Leonie quirked an eyebrow, “What’s been a year now?”“Fhirdiad.”After a successful mission, Leonie finds Shamir alone by a campfire, thinking about events that happened and the woman she lost over a year ago.
Relationships: Balthazar von Adalbrecht | Balthus von Albrecht/Hapi (Implied), Catherine/Shamir Nevrand (past), Shamir Nevrand/Leonie Pinelli
Comments: 8
Kudos: 19





	A Voice in the Flames

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, to anyone reading this, and welcome to my very first fanfic. And I decided to make it about what I consider to be a very underappreciated Three Houses couple.
> 
> I really wish this ship got more attention. I know Cathmir is the more popular wlw ship for Shamir but I think Leomir has alot of potential. 
> 
> Anyways, since almost no one seems to be making content of them, I've taken it upon myself to feed myself and probably like the 7 other Leomir shippers out there. Because why must we starve when others get plenty of food?
> 
> Also, if you're wondering why Hapi and Balthus are here, I figured since their paired ending has them become mercenaries after the war that it'd be a good idea to make them join Leonie's mercenaries. Plus I think they'd get along really well with Leonie and Shamir.

The fires that engulfed the city of Fhirdiad raged on. The remnants of the Kingdom and the Knights of Seiros made their bitter last stand against the Black Eagle Strike Force. The harsh smell of blood, smoke and charred flesh filled the air, while Edelgard and her forces carved their path towards the Immaculate One.

None of that mattered to Shamir as she locked eyes with the woman atop the staircase, her own eyes burning as furiously as the flames that engulfed the city.

“Hello, Catherine. I always knew this day would come.” Shamir spoke in a friendly tone, as if she wasn’t having a mental battle with herself about having to kill her former partner.

Catherine flashed her a friendly smile, one that betrayed her genuine feelings of resentment. “What a coincidence, so did I.” She said in a faux affable manner, her grip on Thunderbrand tightening. “It seems now we have no choice. We have nothing in common. Not our backgrounds, not our beliefs.” She continued, the bitterness in her tone growing with each sentence.

“Not the way we lived…” She grabbed an arrow and aimed it straight at Catherine “or the way we’ll die.”

Shamir fired, but Catherine easily dodged the arrow as she made her charge down the steps in a serpentine fashion. Shamir quickly drew another arrow, this time aiming ahead of Catherine’s likely path. However, Catherine anticipated it and used Thunderbrand to block it and the arrow bounced pathetically off the blade. 

With the distance closed, Catherine swung her blade at Shamir, but Shamir quickly jumped back to avoid the blade. Just as she was ready to retaliate with another shot, Catherine suddenly swung upwards and cleaved her bow in half.

With the sniper’s primary form of offense now just a pair of sticks, Catherine was fully on the offensive as she continued her furious assault on Shamir. Fortunately, years of training with the knight allowed Shamir to dodge her strikes with ease while she tried to get enough distance from the swordmaster.

After back flipping away from a powerful swing, strong enough to smash the stone flooring below them, Shamir reached for her hunting dagger and prepared to throw it straight at Catherine’s heart. She only had one shot, so she had no choice but to let Catherine get close, even if it meant her possibly taking a fatal hit in the process. 

Shamir breathed in and focused her aim on her target, contrasting with Catherine who let out a roar as she prepared to strike her former partner. 

“SHAMIR, LOOK OUT!”

Before Shamir could blink, she felt herself pushed aside and a familiar streak of orange took her place in front of Catherine.

The next thing she knew, Catherine had collapsed dead with a lance through her chest and, to her horror, Leonie had also fallen on her back, bleeding profusely from a deep cut across her body.

“LEONIE!” Shamir cried as she rushed to Leonie’s side. The blood was pooling around her fast and her breathing was shallow. Shamir quickly took off her jacket, in a desperate attempt to cover the wound, as she applied pressure to Leonie’s wound. While she did that, she frantically looked around for any signs of a white magic user.

“LINHARDT! MERCEDES! MARRIANNE! ANYONE! I NEED A HEALER!” she desperately cried to no avail. It was as if there was no one left one in the burning city but her and her dying partner.  
Suddenly a gloved hand rested on her cheek.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Shamir.” Leonie whispered, weakly smiling up at Shamir.

“Leonie, please don’t leave me.” Shamir begged in a broken voice, “Not you too. I can’t lose you too!” By now the tears were rushing down her cheeks, with some of them falling on Leonie’s face.

“I’m sorry that I have to leave you like this… Partner... I...” Leonie weakly muttered as she closed her eyes and breathed her last.

\---

Shamir woke up and shot up from her bed, in a cold sweat and her heart pounding. She placed a hand on her chest as she steadied her breathing before letting out a heavy sigh. After taking a few moments to take in her surroundings, she realized that it was merely a nightmare. She looked beside her in the bed and, to her relief, Leonie was still sound asleep, ignorant of the mental ordeal Shamir just went through.

Shamir let out another sigh. She wasn’t alone, Leonie was alive, and she was right next to her in bed. The two were currently resting at an inn for the night before they, and the rest of the mercenaries, finished their current mission. 

Shamir felt something wet on her cheek. Putting her hand to it, she realized she must have been crying in her sleep from the nightmare she had and so she quickly wiped them from her face.. Since it was already morning, and the morning sunlight was spilling out through the window, Shamir decided to get ready for the mission.

Before she did, however, she lay back down to better observe her sleeping partner. Leonie looked beautiful while fast asleep, Shamir thought, especially with the way her hair framed her face, and with the sunlight hitting her face just right that it made her glow like the ray of sunshine that Shamir always considered her to be. The sniper couldn’t help but smile fondly as she continued watching her sleeping form. She later noticed that a few stray strands of hair were sticking out, so Shamir gently tucked them behind her ear before taking a few moments to gently stroke her partner’s head.

After getting her fill of admiring her partner, Shamir gently got out of bed, careful not to wake up Leonie while doing so. Looking at herself in the mirror, Shamir’s mood immediately dampened as her eyes moved towards her midsection. A large diagonal scar was ever present on Shamir’s stomach, a farewell gift from Catherine during their final clash. 

Moving her eyes towards the calendar next to the mirror, Shamir frowned as she realized what day it was. 

Day 30 of the Great Tree Moon. Exactly one year after The Battle of Fhirdiad.

Shamir traced her fingers along her scar as her thoughts went back to the events that transpired that day between her and Catherine.

\---

_Shamir threw her dagger, and it struck its target dead-on in the heart. However, Catherine was in mid-swing when the dagger struck her. Shamir tried to dodge, but she wasn’t fast enough and she felt the harsh burn of Thunderbrand as it slashed diagonally across her stomach. Both she and Catherine collapsed to the stone flooring as they both lay dying from their injuries._

_“Lady Rhea... My service ends here. It’s been an honour.” She heard Catherine weakly mutter to herself, as she succumbed to her injury._

So this was it _, Shamir thought,_ I suppose dying alongside my old partner isn’t the worst way to go. _T_ _he starry night sky looked blurry as tears filled the sniper’s eyes from both the pain and sorrow. Trapped in her own thoughts, Shamir failed to notice the frantic footsteps and a voice screaming for her._

_“SHAMIR!” The footsteps came to a halt as she saw a figure kneeling down to inspect her wounds. It was a struggle to stay conscious, so Shamir couldn’t tell who it was aside from the fact that it was female._

_“Oh Goddess… Linhardt! Mercedes! Anyone! I need a healer!” Shamir grunted in pain as she felt the figure’s hands pressing down on her, to slow down the bleeding. While that was happening, another set of footsteps rushed down to meet them._

_“I’m here… oh Goddess, there’s so much blood.” she heard a male voice sickly mutter._

_“Linhardt, just shut up and heal her already!” the other voice angrily yelled. Shamir felt the familiar warm sensation of white magic as the wound slowly closed._

_So tired, Shamir thought to herself._

_“You’re going to be okay, Shamir, just hang in there!” she heard the female voice say in a panic. A hand rested on Shamir’s cheek as she felt teardrops hitting her face._

_“I’m sorry you have to see me like this... I… ” Shamir muttered to the woman as she felt her eyelids get heavy._

_“SHAMIR!” was the last thing Shamir heard as she felt her world go black and she passed out from blood loss._

\---

That memory was etched into her memory for over a year now, and yet one thing still bothered her.

 _I wonder who that voice was_ , Shamir thought.

A loud knock on the door interrupted her trip down memory lane, shaking her out of her thoughts as well as waking Leonie from her sleep.

“Ugh, does he have to knock on the door so hard?” Leonie groaned as she slowly sat up from the bed.

“Hey, are you two lovebirds awake yet?” Boomed the voice of Balthus. “Breakfast at the inn is ready and we have a mission to take care of!”

“You don’t have to yell B’, we still have plenty of time.” the voice of Hapi scolded. 

“Sorry Hapi, I’m just so excited about this mission. There’s probably gonna be monsters, and you know I love when I get to let loose with my fists.”

“Be that as it may, you don’t need to be so loud as to wake up the whole inn about it,” Hapi replied.

“Please remember to keep your voice down, remember this is a stealth mission first.” Shamir said. 

“Right, sorry Shamir.” Balthus said more quietly, “Welp, I’ll see you two at dinner.” And with that, the two could hear the grappler walking away, likely towards the inn’s dining hall. 

Shamir shook her head. Working with Balthus was like working with another Raphael. Unlike Raph, however, Balthus never quite learned the art of subtlety.

“Sorry about him waking you two up like that, Junior.” Hapi said, “but you know how he is when it comes to a good fight. Anyway, I’ll see you and Sunshine down at breakfast.”

“Leonie, remind me again why you let those two join us,” Shamir asked as she heard Hapi walk away.

“Well, besides the fact they’re our friends, they’re strong, dependable, and they have a good sense of humour.” Leonie listed as she jumped out of bed towards her clothes, “Besides, I thought you liked them.”

“I do. However I would appreciate it if Balthus didn’t keep waking us up like that.” Shamir replied dryly as she put on her pants, “This makes it the fourth time this week.”

“Yeah well, I suppose that’s part of his charm.” Leonie said as she reached for her pauldrons after putting on her clothes. “He reminds me of Raph. And at least he doesn’t share his appetite.” she said with a chuckle. 

Their brief moment of lightheartedness ended when Shamir looked at herself again in the mirror. Her mood dampened when she gazed once more at her scar and, just like that, the memories of her dream came back to her once more.

Leonie took notice of Shamir’s forlorn expression in the mirror, “Shamir, is something bothering you?” she as she tied her hair into her side tail.

Shamir snapped out of her trance and looked at Leonie for a brief moment. “It’s nothing. Just had a bad dream last night.” 

“What about?”

“Nothing you need to concern yourself with.” Shamir coldly replied as she walked out the door.

Leonie wanted to press further but decided against it. They had a mission to finish. She could comfort her girlfriend about her problems after they took care of those mages.

\---

Leonie smiled as she watched her mercenaries celebrate the success of their mission. Festivities were in full swing, with plenty of eating, drinking and laughter.

The mission was sent to them, several days ago, by Hubert: mages that belonged to Those Who Slither in the Dark were busy coming back and forth between the forest and a run down building, usually bringing in various forest animals with them. Hubert surmised that they were beginning to see what effect crest stones would have on animals, and it was up to Leonie and her mercenaries to track them down and put a stop to whatever it was they were doing.

Fortunately the mission was an overwhelming success.

Once they found out where their base of operations was, even with the Crest Infused animals involved, it was fairly easy for them to take down, especially with the help of Hapi and Balthus. And, best of all, there were no casualties with the worst being a few minor scratches or bruises that were easily fixed with white magic.

In high spirits from their victory, Leonie’s mercenaries were busy celebrating thanks to the hefty gold reward given to them for a job well done.

Midway through the festivities, however, Leonie noticed that a certain sniper was not present. 

While she was hardly ever one to engage in large celebrations, Shamir would normally at least be willing to stay nearby, where she’d occasionally engage in small talk, usually with Leonie.

Leonie walked up to Hapi who was currently busy laughing at a drunken Balthus’ “dance” performance. “Hey, have you seen Shamir anywhere?” she asked.

“Sunshine said she wanted to be by herself for the night after she helped us set up camp. Though I’m sure she’d appreciate your company, Junior.” Hapi said with a sly grin.

Leonie nodded with a light blush as she set out to look for her absent partner.

\---

After several minutes of searching, Leonie finally found Shamir. 

She was sitting by herself, in front of a campfire, while drinking from a flask she held in her hand.

“Hey Shamir, what are you doing here all alone? It ain’t right to celebrate alone.”

Shamir didn’t respond as she continued to stare at the fire, as if caught in a trance.

“You know, if you keep staring at the fire like that, you’re going to end up damaging your eyes. Then again, maybe you’d look good with glasses.” Leonie said playfully.

“…”

Leonie’s expression turned into one of concern, “What’s wrong, Shamir?”

“...”

“Partner?”

That got a response as Shamir slowly turned her head to look as Leonie. Leonie could now see the sullen look in Shamir’s eyes as she spoke.

“It’s been a year now.”

Leonie quirked an eyebrow, “What’s been a year now?”

“Fhirdiad.”

A tense silence followed and Leonie’s look of realization morphed into one of sadness. “...Oh.”

“That nightmare I had,” Shamir began, as she ran a hand through her hair, “it was of the day I fought Catherine and killed her while the city was burning all around us.” Shamir said, choosing to omit the part where Leonie died in her place.

“I can still remember the look on her face when we saw each other. I’ve never seen someone with more hatred in their eyes besides Rhea for Edelgard and The Professor.” She said as she reached for a rather large flask and unscrewed the cap. “And I recall the way it ended, with me piercing her heart with my dagger and her horribly scarring me with her sword. And as we lay there, her last words weren’t for me but for the woman she set a city on fire for.” She finished as she took a small sip from her flask.

“For everyone else, Fhirdiad was the day of the Strike Force’s hard-earned victory against the Church. But, for me, it was the day I had to lose my partner.” 

Leonie said nothing as she continued to look sadly at Shamir.

Shamir remained silent for a few moments while she grabbed a nearby stick and tossed it into the fire, and she watched as the embers flew. Afterwards, she asked, “Did I ever mention that I once had a partner before Catherine?”

Leonie raised an eyebrow at that, “Yeah. He was Dagdan too right?” Shamir nodded.

“He and I were inseparable. We always had each other’s back throughout our time together.   
And, eventually, that turned into us developing feelings for each other.”

“So, what happened?”

“The War of Dagda and Brigid happened.”

There was a pregnant pause as Leonie tried to come up with something to respond to that.

“Shamir, if you don’t wanna really talk about this-”

Shamir scoffed, “He decided to be the self-sacrificing type and took an Imperial javelin meant for me. I took out the soldier who threw it, but my partner didn’t make it. We didn’t even get to say goodbye since the javelin killed him almost instantly.”

“Shamir, I’m sorry you had to go through all that.” Leonie said, giving Shamir a look of sympathy.

“It’s fine. I’ve mostly gotten over it. It’s been over 10 years since it happened.” Shamir said in a matter-of-fact way, betraying the fact there was still some bitterness left. “I just wish we got to say goodbye.” Shamir took another sip of her flask, as if hoping the alcohol would drown out the memory.

“I never thought I’d ever be able to love again after I lost him. But then I met Catherine. We couldn’t have been more different, but I think that’s why I liked her so much.” Shamir took another swig of her flask before continuing, “We went through so much, during our five years as partners, that at some point I wanted our friendship to become something more. I even jokingly proposed marriage to her once after a particularly challenging mission.” 

She took another swig of the flask before continuing, “And then that mess at the Holy Tomb happened, and I sided with the army that had the woman fused with the Progenitor God, while Catherine stayed with the Archbishop.” She grabbed a nearby stick and began poking at the logs. “And the rest is history.”

“Do you... regret defecting to the Empire?” Leonie hesitantly asked.

Shamir shook her head, “Not at all. I’m a mercenary and the Knights of Seiros were just another contract for me.” Shamir then threw the stick into the fire before her expression hardened with her eyes narrowing.

“What I regret is that it meant having to go against the woman I considered a friend, and maybe something more.” She placed a hand on her abdomen, where her scar was “And now, because I hesitated, I have this stupid reminder of her every time I look in the mirror.”

Leonie took this moment to sit down next to Shamir “Catherine made her choice to stay with Rhea, just like you and I made the choice to side with the Professor and Edelgard.” Leonie said as she put a reassuring hand on Shamir’s shoulder, “What happened between you and her wasn’t your fault.”

Shamir said nothing for a while as she continued to stare at the flames. There was a pregnant pause before Leonie spoke up again.

“You know, I ran after you when you rushed to Catherine. I wanted to help you but, by the time I got there, it was too late; Catherine was dead, and you were lying in a pool of your own blood. I was so scared of losing you, I was bawling my eyes out while Linhardt was healing you.”

“You mean that voice I heard was you?”

“Of course. You mean a lot to me, Shamir, and I gotta look out for my partner after all.” 

Shamir stared at her in shock for a few moments before turning her eyes back to the fire with a soft smile on her face. All this time she was so fixated on the people she had lost, when she still had people to hold onto and protect.

Shamir gently pulled Leonie’s head towards her and softly kissed her on the lips. Leonie’s eyes widened for a brief moment before closing as she enjoyed the feeling of her partner’s lips on hers and the faint taste of Dagdan Whiskey. After a few seconds of bliss, the two separated, with Leonie sporting a blush on her cheeks.

While she was reeling from that Shamir said, “You know, before we reunited, I thought I was cursed. I thought someone like me just didn’t deserve love. I suppose, after getting burned twice, I figured maybe it just wasn’t in the cards for me. But at some point, that changed.”

Leonie’s expression softened, “When did you think otherwise?”

“When we met each other again and I started to realize that it was okay for me to love you.” Shamir said, giving Leonie a smile that made her heart melt.

Shamir cleared her throat before she began speaking again, “I haven’t been completely honest about my nightmare.” she said with a bashful look, “What really happened was that you pushed me out of the way and took that fatal hit meant for me. I was desperately trying to keep you alive, and then you just gave me that same reassuring smile you always did in times of trouble.” Shamir explained, “And then you died.” she finished softly.

Leonie could not think of anything to say, so she merely nodded as Shamir continued.

“When I woke up from that nightmare, the pain of losing Catherine was there, but there was also the fear of losing you as well.”

Leonie was at a loss for words as Shamir continued, “You were always there for me when things got tough. And you gave me something that I thought I lost.”

Shamir placed a hand on Leonie’s cheek as she continued, “You mean everything to me Leonie. I don’t think I would be here if it wasn’t for you.”

“I mean, to be fair, you did pretty well on your own before we met again.” Leonie mumbled. 

Shamir shook her head, “That was just me surviving. With you by my side, I feel like I can live.”

“Oh goddess, how can you say something so cheesy with such a straight face?” Leonie asked, the blush on her cheeks coming back.

“Because I’m saying it to you.” Shamir smirked, “Or maybe it’s the alcohol kicking in.”

The two laughed at that before closing in for another kiss. When they parted, the two looked at each other with a look of contentment on their faces.

With Shamir’s dreary mood dissipated, she got up from the log she was sitting on, “I think I’ve spent more than enough time alone. How about we go back and join the others in their celebration?” she asked, offering a hand up to Leonie.

Leonie smiled back, taking Shamir’s hand and pulling herself up, “Sounds good. Let’s go.”

After putting out the fire, the two walked hand in hand towards the ongoing celebration.

“Leonie, thanks for everything.” The sniper said with a light blush on her cheeks.

“Anytime, Partner.”

It will take some time before the scars Shamir bears will fully heal. But as long as she has Leonie’s voice telling her to keep going, she’ll be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed reading this.
> 
> If you'd like to follow me, my twitter is @Josef_Stryker 
> 
> Be advised, however that I like and retweet alot of NSFW stuff so please show your age or else I will block.


End file.
